This invention relates generally to the art of sheet handling machines, and more specifically to such machines for preparing mass mailings.
Automated in-line mailing (AIM) systems have been designed including cutters, register tables, folders, collectors, and inserters. Normally in such a system, the cutter receives a preprinted sheet web which it cuts into individual sheets. These sheets are sequentially automatically fed to the register table, which straightens them and feeds them to a folder. The folder, in turn, folds the sheets into appropriate sizes and feeds them to a collector which collects the folded sheets until a set corresponding to one letter is collected. The collector then ejects, or "dumps" the set, or letter, onto an insert raceway which moves the letter through insert stations. Appropriate inserts are deposited at the insert stations onto the letter. Thereafter, the inserts and letters are stuffed into an envelope which is closed for mailing.
It has been proposed to place indicia on the preprinted sheet web to control operations of various elements of the above-described AIM system, and particularly to control which inserts are deposited on which letters.
A difficulty has been encountered in integrating operations of the various elements of an AIM system as described above under various circumstances even when the preprinted indicia is used. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide an effective control system for controlling the various elements of an AIM system which responds to indicia preprinted on a web and which is flexible in operation.
Still another difficulty with prior art AIM control systems is that they operate unduly slowly. In this regard, the natures of the inserter and the collector of such a system are such that these systems normally must be driven asynchronously. Thus, the collector cannot always "dump" at predetermined time periods because it must wait until the inserter is in a proper "condition" for receiving a set or letter. The cutter, therefore, after cutting the sheets of a letter, must, in turn, pause to wait until the collector has received and dumped this letter before it can start cutting a new letter. This sometimes creates a relatively large time lag between the dumping of letters since both a register table and a folder table are often positioned between the cutter and the collector. This slows the whole operation of the system considerably and also underutilizes the inserter which can insert at a much higher rate than the other elements are providing letters. Thus, it is yet another object of this invention to provide an AIM system which is able to operate at a faster rate than those in the prior art and which utilizes the inserter to a greater degree.
Still another problem with prior art AIM systems is in properly placing their sheet-web scanners, or sensors, for picking up indicia from the sheet web and the complementary problem of properly placing the indicia on the sheet web. Both of these problems have several ramifications. Firstly, it is desirable to include on the sheet web large amounts of information for controlling all of the elements of the system, but on the other hand, large amounts of information normally requires multiple scanners or sensors to read it. Large numbers of scanners, in turn, take up large amounts of space. In this respect, it is desirable for scanners to be located below the web in some cases so that sheets can be printed on either side and "turnovers" of sheets can be avoided. However, if there are too many scanners, or if scanners are too large, positioning them below the web is difficult because of space requirements.
Secondly, it is desirable that when a web driver stops driving the web to cut the last page of a letter, the web driver is inhibited from starting to drive the next letter until the collector has dumped. To accomplish this, it has been proposed to place the web scanner close to the cutting blade. However, again, we run into a space problem in that there is very little room near the cutting blade.
Thirdly, there is the problem of how to space indicia on the web itself. If the indicia is side-by-side, it is difficult to include the indicia only on a margin that can be stripped from the web.
It is, therefore, still another object of this invention to avoid all of the above-mentioned space problems by providing an AIM system wherein: relatively few sensors can be used; the sensors can be spaced away from the cutting blade but yet can be used to hold the first page of the next letter at the cutting blade; and the indicia can be placed on margins which are slit from the web.